Prep Football Games to Watch : Bishop Amat Plays Servite in Showdown Friday

It will be a matchup of undefeated Southern Section powerhouses from the Angelus League when La Puente Bishop Amat and Anaheim Servite meet Friday night at 7:30 at Bishop Amat. Both teams are 8-0 overall and 3-0 in league play, and the winner will clinch at least a share of the league title.

Bishop Amat, No. 2 in The Times’ Southern Section rankings, has faced few serious challenges in rolling over its first eight opponents, 298-75. The run-oriented Lancers are led by Eric Bieniemy, a junior who has 1,193 yards and 20 touchdowns in 188 carries. Senior quarterback Rick Carter has passed for 949 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Servite has a passing attack that could cause problems. The fifth-ranked Friars are led by senior quarterback Tim Rosenkranz, who has completed 88 of 158 passes for 1,814 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also has two excellent wide receivers in Nick-John Haiduc and Jeff Fieldhouse, who caught 8 passes for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Friars’ comeback victory over Santa Fe Springs St. Paul last week, 35-33.

Hawthorne (7-0-1) at North Torrance (5-3), Friday night--The Ocean League title is riding on this one as Hawthorne’s irresistible force meets North’s immovable line. Both are 3-0 in league play. Hawthorne is playing impressively, using its great speed to overwhelm opponents on both offense and defense. Quarterback Alonzo Young and running back Andre Jackson lead a stable of fleet backs, and linebacker Brian Church keys a punishing defense and is a dangerous tight end. The huge lines at North, featuring three-year star Jim Tulette and 310-pound John Streetmaker, have been grinding down opponents, although the offense has been sporadic. Quarterback Mike Jurado passed for more than 300 yards last week.

Carson (6-1) at Gardena (4-3), Friday night--Gardena, coming off an emotional 21-20 victory over Crenshaw, now hits the part of its schedule that hits back--Carson and Banning. The sixth-ranked Mohicans are 2-1 in the Pacific League but still haven’t found a way to spring running back Brian Brown for a big game. Last week’s star was Mario Mottley, whose 89-yard touchdown run was the game winner. Top-ranked Carson, which got Coach Gene Vollnogle his 250th victory last week against Fremont, his alma mater, is 3-0 in the league and starting to put together a passing game. That’s bad news for opponents, since the ground game, featuring Alvin Goree and Calvin Holmes, is already the City’s best.

La Mirada (7-1) at Bellflower (6-2), Friday night--A week ago, this would have been billed as the showdown between unbeatens for the Suburban League title. But Bellflower was upset by Artesia last Friday, 32-13, and now the emphasis seems to be on whether the Buccaneers can bounce back. Quarterback Mike Lemanski has thrown for 15 touchdowns, and Byron Rex, Lemanski’s favorite target, has caught 38 passes for 662 yards and 6 touchdowns. Brian Dorsey has 24 receptions for 267 yards and 5 touchdowns. For La Mirada, Kelly Brooks is the offense. An all-area selection last year by The Times, he is going for a repeat performance with 20 touchdowns and an 8.3-yard rushing average.

Lakewood (4-3) at Long Beach Millikan (4-3), Friday night--A win by Millikan, which has outscored its league opponents, 119-30, would set up a Moore League title game against top-ranked Long Beach Poly next week. On-again, off-again Lakewood hopes to catch its neighborhood rival looking ahead. A victory would guarantee the Lancers a playoff berth for the first time in two years.

Oxnard Santa Clara (7-1) at Agoura (6-2), Friday night--With only two games left in the regular season, this could be the title game in the Frontier League, and the winner will clinch at least a playoff spot. Santa Clara, the preseason favorite, and Agoura, the defending Desert-Mountain Conference champion, both enter with 3-0 league records and balanced attacks. Santa Clara has scored 293 points and allowed only 97, an average victory margin of 36-12. Agoura has outscored its opponents, 191-101, and is averaging 319 yards a game in total offense. Senior tailback Brock Hoffman, who has rushed for 944 yards and 9 touchdowns in 122 carries, leads the way. Quarterback Jon DeGennaro has completed 59 of 103 passes for 750 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Hacienda Heights Los Altos (6-1-1) at La Puente Nogales (6-2), Friday night--Next week’s Los Altos-West Covina game is expected to determine the Sierra League championship but, for that to happen, Los Altos, 2-0-1 in league play, must defeat a vastly improved team from Nogales, 2-1 in the league. Nogales has senior running back Darryl Lewis, who has run 127 times for 1,111 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the way. Quarterback Tim Wells and wide receiver Ron Lattimore are two other top offensive players. They should provide a good test for the Los Altos defense, which has allowed only 57 points. Linebacker Ken Lopez had three quarterback sacks in the 10-10 tie last week with Rowland.

Canoga Park (6-1) at Chatsworth (5-2), Friday night--This game matches the leaders of the Valley Sunset League, both 3-0. Canoga Park quarterback Tony Cantrell has thrown for 652 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior Delgado has seven interceptions. Last week, Delgado returned punts 66 and 47 yards for touchdowns against Van Nuys. The Hunters played without star tailback Kenny Durr against Van Nuys. Durr was suspended one game for disciplinary reasons. He will be back this week, but will not start. After a slow start, Chatsworth has come on strong in recent weeks. Steven Smith has gained 357 yards in 75 carries for a 4.8-yard average. Smith has scored 8 touchdowns.

El Toro (5-3) at Mission Viejo (7-0), Friday night--The winner figures to gain the South Coast League championship. Mission Viejo quarterback Brendan Murphy has thrown only two interceptions all season, but the El Toro secondary has 21 interceptions, 5 by Mike Gonzales and 4 by Jim Hargy. El Toro quarterback Bret Johnson, a sophomore, has passed for 1,107 yards and 9 touchdowns. Mission Viejo fullback Todd Yert has rushed for 665 yards and 14 touchdowns.